On the steps of the Supreme Court, we began to sing the national anthem. I'm amazed by how incredible it feels to sing this. It's a powerful thing to hear a host of men's voices blending together, marginalized citizens showing pride in and passion for a country slow to embrace them fully.

At 18, I stuffed my natural attraction to women down into my soul and chose to date men, all because a shrink had said that anyone who was homosexual couldn't possibly be normal, because who would "choose" such a difficult life?

Last week's Supreme Court rulings will enable more discrimination against women and racial minorities. Yet because none of these cases presented discrimination as blatantly as DOMA did, the justices could more easily disclaim responsibility for the anti-equality consequences of their rulings.

"There is nothing -- nothing -- that roils me more than the fictional claim, ascendant in these times, that America has achieved some kind of 'post-racial' state, or that we have, as a nation, moved beyond having to worry too much about race matters or racist realities."

Marriage in the U.S. is as richly complicated as America is. It is to this complexity that I will lift a celebratory glass: to all those who boldly explore the unknown territories of happily-ever-after in a nation of dreamers, risk-takers, lovers and fighters of the good fight.

Equal Justice Under Law. Those are the words carved in white Vermont marble on the west front of the U.S. Supreme Court building. But last week, the Supreme Court dispensed a version of justice that's anything but equal for millions of Americans.

From Washington D.C., to California and now New York, this week has been full of exciting and long-awaited news for the LGBT community. It only felt right to have a celebration -- and that's what happened on Sunday, June 30.

Why does the religious community teach hate and prejudice to the homosexual and Muslim communities? I love the Jesus that hates religion. I love the Christian that loves Jesus and lives by his teachings. Religion has become manmade and has shoved God's purpose into the dark.

The feeling was exhilarating; the moment I was handed the DOMA decision by one of the interns and was pushed on to deliver the news is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. Looking into the crowd of hundreds who had gathered, I became overwhelmed with emotions.

As someone who believes unconditionally in personal and economic liberty, the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act warmed my heart. It also brought back memories of one of the warmest people I've ever known.

Last year, my partner Sumitra and I moved to Iowa to get married. After 26 years, we will finally tie the knot this fall in Des Moines. And it occurred to me the night of the Supreme Court rulings that my marriage would mean so much more now.

Our freedom is sacred and worth defending. July 4th is a day to celebrate this gift and remember all who have fought and died for it. As we watch fireworks light up the sky, with hands over our hearts, to our servicemen and women we stand in awe.

If we're all equal, the machinery of democracy shouldn't be gummed up by outdated racial classifications. In other words, the Supreme Court is increasingly embracing the Constitution's structural and rights-based protections for individual freedom and self-governance.

Edie Windsor, the newly-turned 84-year-old who today won a huge LGBT rights victory in her suit against the U.S. government, was the star -- a heroic figure in the eyes of the crowd, albeit one for whom the mic had to be lowered when she stepped up to speak.

I want the children of queer families to have all the rights and privileges that other kids have, but we need to be careful how we get there. Largely, it's been by arguing that we're "normal," just gay. I think we should model higher aspirations for our children than being seen as "just like everyone else."

The benefits of DOMA's demise are both economic and psychological. But all marriages have burdens as well as benefits, and that is equally true of same-sex marriages because they will now be recognized by the federal government.